The Best I Can Do
by Elske
Summary: In which Oliver tries to convince Penelope she's out of her mind for calling off her and Percy's "romance", a companion piece to "Knowing You"


~*Author's Note~*  
Thanks to yet another idea...and the efforts of everyone to convince me that I'm not horrible at writing fanfic...here is another little fic of mine, in which Oliver tries to convince Penelope she's out of her mind for ending her "romance" with Percy and Penelope It's a companion piece to "Knowing You." Thanks to everyone who wrote me (and "Knowing You") lovely reviews and compliments. :] Thanks especially to Ciel for telling me that my writing is *always* good, and to Kasey for convincing me that writing fanfic is never a waste of time!  
  
Disclaimer the first: contains mild slashy (or pre-slashy) themes...Percy/Oliver...but what did you expect?  
Disclaimer the second: The characters are not mine, obviously - I've just borrowed them for a bit. Penelope's hair is mine...well, mine is just like it. ^_~ The situation is one that is, I think, (I hope! Or is it just me?) universal and cannot belong to anyone.   
Disclaimer the third: I like Penelope. I identify with her, somehow...even though from the books we really don't know much of anything about her. (Blame it on the hair). I do not treat her as bitch-queen of the universe...even if her existence does get in the way of the perfect Oliver/Percy relationship. :]  
Enjoy!  
  
"The best I can do"  
by Elske  
  
Penelope stared into her own eyes, reflected in the mirror in the Prefect's Bathroom. The sadness that she saw there surprised her...she didn't think that this would be so difficult. But wasn't doing the right thing always difficult?  
  
She reached for her hairbrush, and began slowly, deliberately brushing through her hair. She was untangling it, straightening it, brushing out the curls. It didn't want to cooperate; her curls wanted to stay together, to remain intertwined. Brushing her hair, slowly, methodically, kept her mind off of other things she'd rather not think about. She formed a neat part in the center of her head, splitting her hair into two sides, left and right, and then began braiding the left side. Braids...she hadn't worn her hair in braids since she was a little girl, since before she came to Hogwarts. Since before she met Percy, since before she fell in love. Since life was simple.  
  
Hearing footsteps coming up behind her, Penelope looked up into the mirror to see who it was, hoping they would go away. She was not in the mood for the company of any of the other Prefects - especially Percy.   
  
"Are you out of your mind?" A familiar voice asked as a familiar person stepped into the doorway.  
  
Penelope looked up, met his eyes in the mirror, and smiled slowly. "I've always thought so. What brings you here?" Of all the people Penelope was expecting, the handsome Gryffondor Quiddich captain was not one of them.  
  
"You! After doing what you've done, you ask me what brings me here." Oliver said, smiling to show he wasn't as angry as he might seem from his words. He was standing just in the doorway of the Prefect's Bathroom, feet still outside the room, body leaning inside. Technically Oliver wasn't in the room, if it came down to it, he wasn't doing anything wrong - like being in the Prefect's Bathroom without permission.  
  
Penelope smiled when she realised this. It was something Percy would do, she thought. Percy...he hated to break the rules, any rules, be them written rules or merely conventions.   
  
"Have you been to see Percy?" Penelope hazarded.  
  
"Yes, of course. Percy comes to see me and tells me that Penelope leaves him." Oliver shook his head. "You're out of your mind, Penelope, completely mad."  
  
"Oh." Penelope blinked for a moment, confused. If anything, she thought the handsome Quiddich captain would be pleased at the end of her and Percy's relationship. "Did he...did he happen to explain why?" She asked in a soft voice.  
  
"No. He didn't tell me anything." The young man's eyes flashed. "Just that Penny had left him."  
  
"Oh." Penelope said, still a bit confused.   
  
"You're completely mad." Oliver added. "Completely mad. Leaving Percy. If I had that opportunity..." His eyes widened when he realised what he almost said, crimson spots appearing on his cheeks.  
  
Penelope's eyes lit up, and she smiled at that. "If you had that opportunity..." she prompted, thinking that perhaps she had not been that far wrong after all. "I hope you're referring to Percy and not myself...telling Percy was awkward enough."  
  
"What?" The poor young man looked at Penelope, quite confused.  
  
"The opportunity to be..." Penelope paused, stood on her tiptoes, peering around Oliver to see if there was anyone behind them, listening. "The opportunity to be with Percy...which is what I hope you're referring to. I think that it is...if you were wanting to try and convince me that I'd be better off with you, I don't think you'd tell me I was out of my mind for leaving Percy. So I'm hoping you just admitted to...what I think you almost admitted to."  
  
Oliver just looked at her, open-mouthed, for a long moment. His blush was threatening to overtake his entire complexion.   
  
Penelope took a step closer to him, placing a gentle finger underneath his chin. "Don't gape. It's quite unbecoming." She told him quite seriously. Removing her hand, she began calmly braiding the other half of her hair.   
  
"Penelope..." Oliver said a moment later, after regaining the power to speak. "Penelope?"  
  
"Yes?" Penelope replied, pausing her hands, looking up at Oliver.  
  
"Why did you do it? Leave Percy?"  
  
Penelope compressed her lips, thinking for a moment, wondering how she could explain it. Finally, she decided for 'simply'. "Because...because you know Percy. He doesn't like breaking the rules. Written rules, unwritten rules, conventions - they're things that he respects. And the rules told him he should love me. But his heart didn't agree with the rules. And when I figured that out..." She shrugged neatly, smiling. "He couldn't love me, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that he could." Penelope looked up, into Oliver's eyes. "Do you understand?"  
  
The young man laughed. "I think so...'course, I could just be hearing what I want to. I'm good at that."  
  
She shook her head. "I don't think you are this time, Oliver. He wasn't ever mine...not really." Penelope turned away from Oliver, back to the mirror as she finished braiding her hair. She heard another set of footsteps, familiar footsteps...and could tell immediately who it was. She even knew him by the sound he made when he walked. Raising her eyes to the mirror, she smiled at his reflection. "Hello Percy." She said.  
  
"Penny! Hello. I didn't think anyone would be here. Hello...hello Oliver." The last part of that was said in quieter tones, as Percy tried to be nonchalant.   
  
"Yes...Oliver just came to tell me that I was out of my mind for ever leaving you." Penelope smiled. "And I quite agree...and believe me, Oliver...if you ever do anything so foolish, I'll come and do the same to you. After all...it's not an opportunity that should be wasted."  
  
"I...of course." Oliver agreed, still blushing, as he smiled at Penelope's reflection. "Hello Percy."   
  
"Hello Oliver."  
  
Penelope grinned, turning away from the mirror. "Goodbye Percy. Goodbye Oliver." She managed to slip behind Oliver, using her toes to lift up the doorstop so that the door would close behind her. They needed a moment or two to themselves, after all...and with the door closed were not likely to be disturbed.   
  
Oliver was right, she realised. She was completely out of her mind. She was going to miss him. But things would turn out all right. They had to. It was the best she could do. 


End file.
